Flourless Almond And Chocolate Cake

Flourless Almond And Chocolate Cake

This is called torta di mandorle in Italy, from which it comes–through the hands of Chef Andrea Apuzzo and his talented, late pastry chef Lonnie Knisley. It’s not only a good dessert, but makes a marvelous breakfast. It’s so light and goes down so easily that you may as well make two of them at once. This recipe is adapted from the one in La Cucina di Andrea’s, which I wrote with Chef Andrea in 1989.

Chocolate and almond cake.

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1/2 cup butter

1/2 lb. sugar

1/4 cup amaretto

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 lb. finely crushed almonds

8 eggs, separated

Pinch cream of tartar

Powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

1. Melt the chocolate in glass bowl or measuring cup in the microwave oven. Start with one minute on high. Stir the chocolate with a knife. Repeat the process in thirty-second bursts, stirring after each, until the chocolate is just barely melted and smooth.

2. While the chocolate is heating, cream the butter and sugar together
with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. (Or by hand with a wooden spoon if your mixer isn’t strong enough.) Keep going until the mixture has very little grittiness, and a very pale color.

3. Add the amaretto to the mixer bowl. Sift the cocoa powder, baking powder and cornstarch together and add, in two portions. Beat in thoroughly.

4. Grind the almonds to a fine powder in a coffee mill. Add that to the bowl, then the egg yolkss. Continue to mix until well blended.

5. Scrape down the sides of the cowl until clean. While running the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the chocolate. Mix just until blended. DOn’t overmix.

6. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff but not dry. Fold this very gently with a rubber spatula into the mixer bowl.

7. Coat two nine-inch pie pans with shortening and fill them almost to the top with the batter. Bake in a preheated 275-300 degree oven for one hour. Cakes are done when the tops start to show small cracks. (This is normal.)

8. Allow cakes to cool on racks. Turn pans over onto plates. Dust the tops of the cakes with powdered sugar.